Minister launches next generation industrial estate
Source: WA. Minister for Planning and Infrastructure
"The State Government has launched Meridian Park, a major new 400ha industrial area being developed at Neerabup, four kilometres north-east of Joondalup.
“Meridian Park is the next generation of industrial development in Western Australia, with a focus on connectivity, creating a sense of place and ensuring a high level of services within an attractive work environment.”
“The Carpenter Government is fast-tracking high quality, strategically-located land to support industrial growth and enable businesses to capitalise on the continuing strength of the State’s economy and ensure the needs of the market are met,” Ms MacTiernan said."

Back to basics as new K-10 syllabus unveiled
Source: WA. Minister for Education and Training. Media Release
"A major new initiative to introduce higher standards and more rigorous course content in Years Kindergarten to 10 was unveiled by Education and Training Minister Mark McGowan. Mr McGowan said the reintroduction of the Kindergarten to Year 10 syllabus at the beginning of the 2008 school year would mark the end of content-free and woolly objectives in education.

$5M New Partnership to Make Office Buildings Greener
Source: Victoria. Office of the Premier. Media Release
"Premier John Brumby announced $5 million to environmentally upgrade 83,000m2 of office accommodation at 16 Victorian Government buildings across the State. Mr Brumby said the project involved the design, supply, commissioning, monitoring and verification of energy efficient measures that will pay for themselves within 10 years and water conservation measures that will pay for themselves within 20 years. These improvements will lift the average Australian Buildings Green Rating (ABGR) across the government’s property portfolio to at least 4.5 stars,” Mr Brumby said. "

$540,000 Package to Support Refugee and New Migrant Parents
Source: Victoria. Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development. Media Release
"Making it easier to get quick expert child health advice is a central feature of a package of initiatives for refugee and new migrant families announced by the Brumby Government. The Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Maxine Morand, said a $400,000 expansion of the highly successful maternal and child health interpreter service will deliver more help for parents by breaking down the language barrier."

Free Bikes to Provide Pedal Power for Primary Kids
Source: Victoria. Minister for Sport and Recreation. Media Release
"Christmas is coming early for 1000 students from 500 government schools across Victoria, who will receive free bicycles as part of the Brumby Government’s Ride2School 1000 Bike Giveaway, the Minister for Sport and Recreation, James Merlino, announced. He said recipients were nominated for the prize by their school for their leadership qualities, with all nominees selected as a reward for either participating in a school bike club or taking part in a bicycle education program."

New Council to Provide Alcohol and Drug Policy Advice
Source: Victoria. Minister for Mental Health. Media Release
"The Brumby Government has established a new high-level policy group to provide ongoing guidance about existing and emerging alcohol and drug issues. The Victorian Drug and Alcohol Prevention Council will be chaired by Professor Jon Currie, the Director, Addiction Medicine and Mental Health, St Vincent’s Hospital, and will advise the Brumby Government on strategies to reduce alcohol and drug abuse. Mental Health Minister Lisa Neville said that in recognition of the seriousness of alcohol misuse, the Premier’s Drug Prevention Council has been revamped and will re-convene as the Victorian Drug and Alcohol Prevention Council and begin operating early next year."

SA takes the lead to promote clean, green tourism
Source: South Australia. Minister for Tourism. Media Release
"South Australia is positioning itself as Australia’s premier clean, green tourism destination. The local tourism industry is taking the lead on national climate change initiatives to build on the State’s reputation for protecting its natural environment. Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says the group is looking at ways clean, green tourism in SA can become a competitive advantage in selling the State as a holiday destination."

Emergency workers better protected from today
Source: South Australia. Attorney General. Media Release
"Substantially tougher penalties for offences committed against a range of emergency workers, including those in hospital emergency units, ambulance and fire crews, will come into force. Attorney-General Michael Atkinson says under the new laws offences committed against emergency workers can be considered by a court to be aggravated therefore increasing the potential penalty by up to 50%. Such protection has already been given to police and law enforcement officers."

SA schools go the extra mile for green travel
Source: South Australia. Minister for Road Safety. Media Release
"Attending a school assembly at Braeview Primary School in Happy Valley, the Minister presented the enthusiastic and inspired students with a certificate in recognition of their outstanding achievements as part of the Green Travel Challenge - a new State Government program. The Green Travel Challenge is about looking at different and more environmentally friendly ways of getting around, rather than relying on the family car,” the Minister said at the assembly."

MINISTER FERGUSON RAMPS UP ENERGY REFORM AGENDA
Source: Australia. Minister for Resources and Energy. Media Release
"The Australian Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson today (13/12/07) met his State and Territory counterparts for the first time as Minister to progress Australia's energy future.
Mr Ferguson chaired his inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Council on Energy where Ministers made a number of important decisions towards implementation of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) national energy policy framework."

Guidelines on the Involvement of Public Servants in Public Information and Awareness Initiatives
Source: Australian Public Service Commission
"The Commission has issued guidelines setting out the ethical concerns that need to be considered when public servants, including agency heads, become involved, in their official capacity, in helping to explain and implement Government policies and programmes.
The guidelines implement the Government’s policy commitment not to use public servants in Government advertising unless that role is essential in the communication of an important message on an issue such as public health or similar"

State of the Service Report 2006-07
Source: Australian Public Service Commission
"Section 44 of the Public Service Act 1999 provides that the Public Service Commissioner must provide a report each year to the Minister for presentation to the Parliament, which includes a report on the state of the Australian Public Service during the year. The State of the Service report draws on a range of information sources including a survey sent to all APS agencies employing 20 or more staff under the PS Act and the results of the APS employee survey. "

Biggest NSW Liquor Law reform in 25 years
Source: NSW. Premier. Media Release
"The Iemma Government has announced the biggest shake-up of the State’s liquor laws in a quarter of a century. NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the package of reforms will be introduced to modernise and simplify the NSW liquor laws to reflect changing industry needs and community standards. "After extensive consultation, we’ve reached a package of reforms which provides fairness and balance," Mr Iemma said. "

Review of Gaming Machines Act Released
Source: NSW. Minister for Gaming and Racing. Media Release
"Reducing poker machine numbers and new harm minimisation measures to protect local
communities from problem gambling are the centrepiece of reforms to be drafted by the
Iemma Government, Gaming and Racing Minister Graham West announced.
Mr West said the reforms follow a comprehensive Review of the Gaming Machines Act 2001
tabled in Parliament.The Review report recommends a series of new harm minimisation measures while maintaining many elements of existing gaming laws."

Energy savings to fund major infrastructure projects
Source: NSW. Premier. Media Release
"NSW Premier Morris Iemma announced that the proceeds of the savings from the government’s energy strategy would support a range of infrastructure projects and initiatives to benefit families and business across NSW. Mr Iemma said the priority projects would improve services, strengthen our economy and continue efforts to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.
"This announcement to secure the State’s energy needs with private sector investment is expected to save taxpayers up to $15 billion over the next 10 to 15 years," Mr Iemma said.
"It does not make sense for NSW taxpayers to pay for the additional electricity investment of up to $15 billion when the private sector can do it at no cost to the taxpayer."

NSW Government acts to secure State’s energy supply
Source: NSW. Premier. Media Release
"Premier Morris Iemma announced the future energy needs of the State’s businesses and families will be secured at no cost to taxpayers in response to the Owen Inquiry into electricity supply in NSW. Mr Iemma said the government would accept Professor Owen’s key recommendations while still keeping electricity assets in public ownership. The decision is expected to save NSW taxpayers up to $15 billion over the next 10 to 15 years, at the same time as ensuring electricity supply and reliability keeps pace with growing demand.
Mr Iemma said that in order to provide for new energy generation by the private sector, the government would lease existing electricity generators to private operators, while keeping them in public ownership. "

New Domestic Violence Prevention Campaign Launched
Source: ACT. Chief Minister. Media Release.
"The ACT Minister for Women, Ms. Katy Gallagher MLA was pleased to launch the Women’s Legal Centre’s new community domestic violence prevention and education campaign, Reach Out and Make a Difference. The campaign was developed to raise awareness about domestic violence to the broader community, and to support women facing situations of violence."

$200 million clean energy boost for NSW
Source: NSW. Minsiter for Energy and Acting Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water. Media Release
"The Iemma Government today stepped up its commitment to clean energy by investing $200 million in a Clean Energy Fund to support renewable energy and clean coal research. Energy Minister Ian Macdonald said a total of $160 million in additional funding will be provided for clean energy. $100 million in new funding will go directly into a Clean Coal Fund."

Iemma Government announces new Energy Efficiency Strategy
Source: NSW. Department of Premier and Cabinet. Media Release
"NSW Premier Morris Iemma announced a landmark new Energy Efficiency Strategy to strengthen the NSW economy and continue efforts to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Iemma said the strategy would help ensure cost effective energy efficiency measures were implemented in homes, schools, businesses and Government operations across NSW. "

Hulls Announces New Child Homicide Legislation
Source: Victoria. Attorney General. Media Release
"Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls introduced legislation creating the new offence of child homicide to better reflect the seriousness with which the community views the killing of a child. He said the new offence of child homicide would have the same maximum penalty as manslaughter but would highlight that the victim was a young child. The new offence would apply in cases where the victim was less than six years old."

Ten Schools to be Built by Public Private Partnerships
Source: Victoria. Office of the Premier. Media Release
"The first Victorian schools to be built under public-private partnership arrangements will benefit families in Melbourne’s growing suburbs, Premier John Brumby announced. Mr Brumby said a private sector consortium would build ten new schools around Melbourne and maintain them for 25 years.“These partnerships will deliver modern schools for modern teaching,” Mr Brumby said.“They will also allow school principals to concentrate on helping our students rather than working on the day to day maintenance of the buildings."

Communities to Get a Say on Mining Activities
Source: Victoria. Minister for Energy and Resources. Media Release
"Under new regulations, mining companies will now be required to communicate with communities affected by exploration and provide opportunities for them to comment, Minister for Energy and Resources Peter Batchelor said. “Following public consultation, changes to the Mineral Resources Development Regulations 2002 have come into effect. The regulations set out mining licensees’ obligations to engage with local communities,” Mr Batchelor said.“The new regulations build on the ‘duty to consult’ changes made to the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 last year and ensure that the community is recognised as a key stakeholder in the Victorian mining industry."

New Bursaries Invest in Victoria's Power Future
Source: Victoria. Minister for Energy and Resources. Media Release
"Thirteen bursaries awarded to Victorian university students today will help ensure Victoria has the skills to accommodate our growing energy sector, Minister for Energy and Resources Peter Batchelor said. The Australian Power Institute National Power Engineering Bursary Awards, presented by Mr Batchelor, will each provide $8000 over four years, to students undertaking degree level studies in engineering relevant to the power industry.“The Brumby Government is working towards addressing the skills shortage in Victoria in partnership with industry,” Mr Batchelor said."

New Era Starts for Indigenous Housing
Source: Victoria. Minister for Housing. Media Release
"An innovative Brumby Government program will give indigenous public housing tenants the opportunity to have their tenancies managed by their own community, Minister for Housing Richard Wynne announced. Under the initiative, indigenous tenants currently living in properties managed through the Office of Housing’s Aboriginal Rental Housing Program will be offered the opportunity to transfer their tenancy to Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV). Aboriginal Housing Victoria is a not-for-profit, community-managed housing agency which provides housing for lower-income Aboriginal Victorians. The benefits of transferring tenancy include providing tenants with an Aboriginal landlord and a more personalised and culturally sensitive service by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people – with a particular emphasis on meeting individual needs."

Accident Compensation Legislation to be Updated
Source: Victoria. Minister for TAC. Media Release
"Victoria’s Accident Compensation Act will be updated to enhance support for injured workers, the Minister for Finance, WorkCover and the Transport Accident Commission, Tim Holding, announced. Mr Holding said the legislation was being independently reviewed to ensure appropriate support continued to be provided to injured workers. This review builds on the success of the recent reforms to the Occupation Health and Safety Act and is part of the Government’s election commitment to modernising this important area of law, Mr Holding said."

New $1 Million Program for Sport and Recreation
Source: Tasmania. Minister for Community Development. Media Release.
"The Minister for Community Development, Michelle O’Byrne, announced a new $1 million funding program to help more Tasmanians participate in sport and recreation activities.
This program specifically targets those people in the community who would otherwise find it extremely difficult to participate in sport and recreation,” Ms O’Byrne said. All Tasmanians have the right to a healthy, active lifestyle, regardless of their background or situation. The Community Recreation Grants Program will provide grants from $500 to $50,000 to directly remove barriers to participation in sport and recreation around the state."